Dimensional Whiplash Revised
by Cardinal Syn
Summary: Alie Rheese had never expected her love of science and technology to get her in trouble. When a new device at her place of employ backfires due to an accident, she and her brother end up in two separate worlds, very different from their own... FF6/7
1. Three Years Later

Dimensional Whiplash - REVISION - Chapter 01 - Three Years Later

**TITLE: **Dimensional Whiplash  
_**This is the working title**_**  
ABBREVIATED TITLE: **DW  
**Part: **1/? ("Three Years Later" )  
**AUTHOR: **Cardinal Syn/Jamie Carlson  
**RATING: **PG-13 for Language and Adult Themes**  
SPOILERS: **Misc. Final Fantasy VI and VII spoilers  
**DISCLAIMER: **The Final Fantasy Franchise belongs to Squeenix (SquareEnix). The characters Aleenia and Samuel Rheese belong to me and are (c) 2000 to present.  
**NOTES: **This is a total rehaul of a fanfiction that I started many, many years ago. I really like the basis of the original story, but will be removing several elements and adding more. References to the Street Fighter universe will be completely removed. The triangle that started to develope between Sabin, Alie and Shadow will be explored further, and any confusing elements (such as Edgar's seeming attraction toward her at the beginning when he only has eyes for Terra) will be removed. Ages will be correctyed and the timeline altered to allow for the Advent Children events for the FF7 world, and so that Relm is the correct age (I found out that she's only 10 - 11 during events in the game).  
**WARNINGS: **Language and adult themes. **  
PAIRINGS: **Locke/Celes; A weak Cloud/Tifa; Yuffie/OC; Edgar/Terra; a weak OC/Sabin or OC/Shadow (we'll see how this developes).  
**MAIN CHARACTERS (in order of most prominent in the story): **Heroes from FF6 and 7, except for Aerith (as she is pretty solidly dead), Umaro, or Gogo. SUMMARY: Alie Rheese had never expected her love of science and technology to get her in trouble. When a new device at her place of employ backfires due to an accident, she and her brother end up in two separate worlds, very different from their own...  
**EXTENDED SUMMARY: **Alie Rheese had never expected her love of science and technology to get her in trouble. When a new device at her place of employ backfires due to an accident, she and her brother end up in two separate worlds, very different from their own... When Alie wakes to find herself in Figaro desert, brotherless and without the modern technology she needs to rebuild the machine and find her way home, she suffers depression. Sam is driven by his anger and his drive to find his sister. In the meanwhile, players behind the scenes manipulate happenings in both worlds, and Alie and Sam find themselves caught up in a plot to capture the megaverse... FF6/FF7 crossover with new characters and minor AU or expansions.

**Story Originally Created:** May 31, 2001

**Story Reworked:** February, 2008

**Story Notes (added February 3rd, 2008):** I have decided that this story was a good idea and written surprisingly well (except for some inconsistencies and short chapters) for 2001... so I have now decided to expand the story and give it the attention it deserves to warm my writing skills back up. I don't write fanfiction anymore, but I can't help but be driven to finish this story, as it has played out in my head over the last 7 years and I just like the ending and the possibilities too much to ignore it.

"Dimensional Whiplash"  
By Jamie M. Carlson  
(Cardinal Syn on One - Three Years Later...

Cloud Strife brushed a hand through his spikey blonde hair.

It had been a year since the battle with Kadaj's gang, and his epic battle with the revived Sephiroth. Three years since the death of Aerith Gainsborough.

Although things had improved - his delivery business had been booming, Barret and Marlene were doing extremely well thanks to his discovery of an oil well, and Seventh Heaven had been seing more business - Cloud still felt a little empty inside. He had been warming up to his friends, not going off on his own anymore. The lone wolf had come home to stay.

But regret still weighed in his heart. He thought frequently of Aerith and Zack - he had seen them there, in the light. Aerith.. the beautiful mother of the Planet. He was sure she was now watching over everyone. He was sure she had everything to do with the healing of the Geostigma.

He gazed up at Seventh Heaven from the back of his still motorcyle. He had just arrived from a trip to Kalm. Midgar had rebuilt the buildings and monument destroyed by Ultima.

A light voice to his right made him turn. 

"Moping, are we?" The voice belonged to Tifa Lockheart, a brown-haired fighter. She had her hands in the pockets of her black leather apron. The back of her skirt whispered, leather on leather. Her shorts hugged her thighs, and the black leather-over-white-cloth tanktop hugged her ample chest. In the bright sunlight, her black hair shone, sleek and silky. She was a vision, her pretty, gentle face and kind eyes belying the raw power she contained in her body. She was a miracle in form... and yet...

"I'm fine," said Cloud. "I was just about to come in."

"How did the delivery go?" Tifa asked, casually leaning against the monstrosity that was Cloud's custom bike. She absently knocked on the compartment that carried his many swords.

"No problems. A couple of monsters on the way, but nothing too difficult." Cloud pulled his leg over the side of the bike, careful not to kick her as he dismounted. He went to remove the saddlebags where he kept his deliveries, now empty. "Any more orders?"

"No, I put them on hold for a week. We're supposed to be having a celebration, remember? A reunion? Everyone's here - can't have you zooming off on your bike now."

Tifa wrapped her arms around him. Cloud returned her embrace, but it was stiff. He looked down at Tifa's long hair. She loved him, he knew... but he questioned himself: did he really return her love? Of course he cared about her; he loved all his friends in one way or another. But she loved him in a way Cloud wasn't sure he could love her. His feelings for Aerith had never really subsided, and try as he might, seemed to outshine anything he could feel for his longtime friend.

"Come on," Tifa said into Cloud's shirt, her cheek pressed against his chest. "Barret and the others are waiting in the bar."

"Yeah," Cloud answered.

Tifa took one of the saddle bags so she could clasp his hand and lead him toward the bar. The rebuilt bar was a bit larger than the last one, cleaner, and in what could be considered a "better area" of Midgar, once the reconstruction had been completed after the fall of the plate that crushed her old bar... and took their friends Jesse, Vicks and Wedge along with it. The building also acted as the headquarters for Strife Delivery Services.

Tifa dragged Cloud into the building. Cid Highwind sat at a table, brown-booted feet resting on the table's smooth surface, his lance, Venus Gospel, propped up against a wall near him. Tifa walked up to Cid, whose eyes were closed, and tipped him back in his chair, a devious grin spreading across her lips.

"What the hell?!" the pilot cried, flailing his arms wildly and knocking over his drink. His cigarette somehow managed to stay clamped between his teeth.

"I've told you before, Cid, keep your muddy boots off the table!" Tifa chided playfully. Deep laughter filled the room. Cid glared at the large black man sitting at the bar, a small white girl in a soft blue and white sundress dress on his lap. Barret Wallace laughed at Cid's expression, loud belly-laughter. The little girl hid a smile behind her hand, clinging to her foster father's broad shoulders.

"Enjoyed that, eh, Marlene?" Barret rumbled between bursts of laughter. His mechanical arm replacing the lower portion of his right arm, lost in an accident long ago, held Marlene in place as he swivled his stool toward his friends.

"Very funny," Cid growled. 

Nanaki lay near Yuffie Kisaragi, who had shrugged her sleevless hoodie off. She was checking her Conformer for any damage and shining its four points. Nanaki, also called Red XIII, shook his shaggy mane and looked up at Cloud as he came near the two to settle into a chair at one of the many tables.

At the far right corner of Seventh Heaven crouched a man in an oversized red duster. He had long, purplish-black hair, and one of his arms was a goldish attachment, one of the many momentos of the surgery that was done on him, turning him into a monster. In his holster was the powerful gun called Death Penalty. Vincent Valentine stood, sweeping his tattered read cloak behind him. He nodded to Cloud, his red eyes intense as always.

Reeve - in the flesh, to Cloud's surprise, rather than in the form of Cait Sith - sat near Barret at the bar. He smiled crookedly and gave a little wave. It was rare for Reeve Tuesti to give an appearance. He was rather busy with the WRO, all in all.

TIfa pated Cid on the shoulder and smiled, righting his glass before moving to the bar to grap a cloth to clean up his spilled drink.

"Sorry, I just couldn't resist it," she told him, winking, as she poured him a new drink.

"It's good to see everyone again," Reeve noted, sipping on his own drink, which appear to be a burboun. "I hope you don't mind me coming in place of Cait Sith...?"

"Of course not," Yuffie replied, standing up and setting her weapon on Cloud's table, careful not to poke him with it. "It's great to see a familiar face." Yuffie put her hands on her hips. She had filled out a bit in the last three years, going from the tender age of 16 to a spunky 19.

"Look at you, all grown up!" Reeve laughed. "Three years..."

"It feels like so much longer.. like we've all known each other for a decade or more..." Tifa murmured, looking down at the bar, where her hands rested, palms flat on the surface.

"Some of us have."

She looked up to see Cloud's bright eyes focused on hers. A smile tugged at the corners of her lips. 

_--------------- ----------------_

_In another World..._

**Two Years Ago  
**  
Terra Branford sat up, green-blue eyes wide, identically colored hair tussled from sleep. Light had filled her room, a pulsating light. Her skin crawled. She knew this feeling, this light. It was...

_"Terrrrrra Branforrrd..."  
_  
The half-Esper woman tossed her covers off. Her simple, modest white nightgown covered her from neck to foot. Her chest rose and fell with rapid, frightened breaths. She could see almost perfectly in the soft blue light bathing her. It was focused in the center of the room, around the vague figure of what appeared to be a person in the light.

"You are...?" she whispered softly.

"_Terra Branford, daughter of Maduin, child of magic..."  
_  
"No.. magic has gone from this world," Terra whispered, her gentle voice barely audible.

"_Magic lives yet within this world, but cut off from all. It must be restored.. it is of utmost importance. The children of this world must be able to protect themselves... from what is to come."  
_  
Confusion shone in Terra's eyes, and she took a shaky step toward the burning light. Suddenly, what seemed to be an electric charge jumped between Terra and the faceless, glowing figure. An aura of blue surrounded the frightened former Magitek Elite. She winced, but no pain came. It was a familiar, gentle feeling. Calming, healing. Terra felt a part of her stir, seeming to be preparing to wake.

"_Magic lives in your veins. You hold the utmost understanding of its nature, being what you are, half-Esper child... You must teach magic to the children in your care here in the villiage of Mobliz."_

Terra shook her head. "But, magic, the Espers, everything - "

"_Magic does not come from the Espers. Magic in its purest form resides in the world itself. The Espers were mearly children of it. You can call it back up. I will grant it back to you - and revive the powers of the Espers whose forms remain here in the form of Magicite."  
_  
"I don't understand.. you can restore the ability to use magic? Who are you? Why would you do this, when men had nearly destroyed the world, twice, with its power?"

"_I have faith in the hearts of humanity. If you start with those who are innocent and teach their hearts to move against the path of darkness, then it can be controlled. The Warring Triad has been disabled; such things are the folly, objects, material things that possess great power which anyone can use. No, magic from the heart of a person is pure, and is not so easily used to destroy the world. No, this magic will reshape it, and heal it."  
_  
The blue light opened its arms.

"_Please... I am not forcing this upon you. It is your decision. I ask that you consider it - please, Terra, be the mother to the child that is the new world... and help us protect it.. I will return to you in ten days._"

The light faded away.

_The decision is yours..._

Terra sat heavily upon the floor, feeling that part of her fall back into sleep.

"Why? Who are you?"

Over the next seven days, through pigeon courrier and with the use of Setzer's airship, she met with her friends - the King of Figaro, the former Imperial general Celes Chere, the old wizard Strago and his granddaughter, Relm. They were all unsettled by the vision's words. Some danger the world would be in? Some threat? Something so dangerous that magic needed to be reintroduced so the world could defend itself?

Terra sat outside of her house where she tended the orphans of Mobliz. A soft breeze blew strands of her long aqua hair against her cheek. She wore it loose today, as it was a sweltering summer. The old planks of the porch creeked under her weight as she shifted on the steps, leaning forward to put her elbows on her drawn-together knees. She looked down at her hands, feminine but calloused from wielding a sword for so long. She had laid her sword down in exchange for a peaceful life here.

A small child came up to her. A little girl with her brown hair in high pigtails, a sweet little girl named Kaylee. 

"What's wrong, Mama Terra?"

"Oh.. I have to make a really big decision, and I'm not sure what to do," Terra responded, smilling her gentle smile. The little girl tilted her head and peered at her.

"What is it?"

"It's nothing for you to worry about, Kaylee," Terra responded quietly. She pulled the little girl into her lap and hugged her close. "You could say... someone wants me to be a mother of sorts, to everyone, not just to you kids."

The little girl looked up at Terra. Her brown eyes were solemn, a strang look on a child. She nodded, once, slowly. "You should do it then."

Terra blinked, surprised by the child's response.

"What do you mean?"

"You're a wondeful Mama.. You would be very good at it."

The child didn't really understand what she was saying, nor what Terra was being asked to do. But the faith, solid and certain, that the child showed the half-Esper moved her. Tears stung her eyes as she embraced the child, falling to the top of the girl's head.

"Thank you, Kaylee."

It was three days later that Terra sat waiting in her room, her hands clasped in her lap as she perched on the egde of her bed. Around the same time as before - midnight - blue light filled her room. She steeled herself.

_"Terra Branford... what have you decided, child?"  
_  
"If you will only explain to me what it is you need, and why it is you need it... I will do it."

Terra could feel the relieve and grattitude from the being rather than see it in its features, as it really had none. The soft blue light brightened and she felt its joy, pure and unrestrained.

"_Thank you, Terra Branford. All I can tell you is that we feel a strong, dark presence coming. We do not know when. It is slow, sluggish, but may gain momentum at any time. We fear for the children of our world, and we wish to give them the means to defend themselves._"

"What are you? Who are you?"

"_We are the spirits of the world. We are the heart of the planet. We are the souls of those who have come before and have become one with the world, with the universe."  
_  
Terra's eyes widened.

"_We are..._"

**Today**

A young woman stood, her back to the magnificent airship which was waiting for her to board, owned by a friend of hers. She had sparkling gold hair that was almost white, a striking platinum. Around her shoulders was a long white cloak. She wore tight yellow leggings leading down into white, gold-accented boots, a pair of yellow sleeves slit at the top and tied with a black cord, and a pirple tank top tucked into a sword belt, scabbard, and sword hung at her side. Striking blue eyes gazed forward, searching, her once-fair, now-tanned skin glistening with moisture from the late-night fog.

"Celes! Come back inside! If she makes it, she makes it!" came a rough but genteel voice from inside the airship Falcon.

"Yes, I'm coming, Setzer," The former Imperial Forces general Celes Chere-Cole turned and re-boarded the Falcon. She paused at the top of the ramp, turning back and gazing back over the grassy plains at the rendezvous point outside of Tzen. "You're late, Terra. If you don't get here by dawn, we'll leave without you." She turned again on her heel, and strode into the airship. She made her way to the lounge.

Waiting inside were her friends, Cyan Garamonde, Shadow, Strago Magus, Relm Arrowny, and Setzer Gabbiani. Setzer had agreed to pick everyone up for a surprise visit to Figaro Castle, to celebrate three years of peace after the defeat of Kefka, and celebrate the return of Magic into the world.

"Where is Terra? I hope she didn't decide not to come! This is a really important gathering!" wailed the twelve-year-old, smart-mouthed artist, Relm Arrowny. Strago harrumphed and knocked her on the top of her head with his walking stick. She yelped and rubbed the her scalp through her swathe of scarves adorning her head.

"Don't be so impatient," the old man retorted. "Terra has been a very busy woman, running a school to teach magic in Mobliz. She's been dealing with a lot lately and was hard pressed to find a suitable stand-in from Thamasa."

Cyan, the elegant warrior, placed a large hand on the pouting girl

"M'lady, Terra shall not be left behind. Thy worries are misplaced, I assure thee. She shall arrive shortly, of this I am sure."

A breath later, the door to the lounge squealed open. A ramp slid down, and up that ramp came an aqua-haired young woman with gentle eyes wearing a red dress with shoulder guards and gauntlets in a reddish bronze with gold detailing. A lavendar sash was tied at her waist, and she wore jewelry of red, purple and gold orbs. Her thick, wavy hair was pulled into a ponytail high at the back of her head. Her long legs were encased in reddish tights with gold and purple detailing and designs, and the heels of her red and gold boots clack on the metal floor. Terra Branford entered the airship with a grin.

"And I was starting to think we'd be leaving without you come sunrise," said Setzer, smiling a crooked card-shark smile.

"I'm sorry, I wasted a lot of time by running through an entire checklist with the new teacher in Mobliz. I have become overprotective of the children in these three years. I see everyone else is here, but where is Locke?" Terra asked in her whispery voice.

"Oh, he's already at Figaro. He went the other day to speak to Edgar about raising chocobos for racing," the Celes said with an indulgent smile. Her husband of six months, Locke Cole the adventurer, was running out of places to explore, and had been convinced by Setzer - the Wandering Gambler - that it would be a great idea to start racing the man-sized yellow birds.

After greetings and hugs were exchanged, Setzer gestured to the door leading upward to the deck of the airship. "I do believe it is time for us to depart, ladies and gentleman. Get ready."

---

Next Chapter: We introduce the ill-fated siblings, Alie and Samuel...


	2. Reunions and New Faces

**TITLE: **Dimensional Whiplash  
_**This is the working title**_**  
ABBREVIATED TITLE: **DW  
**Part: **2/? ("Reunions and New Faces" )  
**AUTHOR: **Cardinal Syn/Jamie Carlson  
**RATING: **PG-13 for Language and Adult Themes**  
SPOILERS: **Misc. Final Fantasy VI and VII spoilers  
**DISCLAIMER: **The Final Fantasy Franchise belongs to Squeenix (SquareEnix). The characters Aleenia and Samuel Rheese belong to me and are (c) 2000 to present.  
**NOTES: **This is a total rehaul of a fanfiction that I started many, many years ago. I really like the basis of the original story, but will be removing several elements and adding more. References to the Street Fighter universe will be completely removed. The triangle that started to develope between Sabin, Alie and Shadow will be explored further, and any confusing elements (such as Edgar's seeming attraction toward her at the beginning when he only has eyes for Terra) will be removed. Ages will be corrected and the time line altered to allow for the Advent Children events for the FF7 world, and so that Relm is the correct age (I found out that she's only 10 - 11 during events in the game).  
**WARNINGS: **Language and adult themes. **  
PAIRINGS: **Locke/Celes; A weak Cloud/Tifa; Yuffie/OC; Edgar/Terra; a weak OC/Sabin or OC/Shadow (we'll see how this developes).  
**MAIN CHARACTERS (in order of most prominent in the story): **Heroes from FF6 and 7, except for Aerith (as she is pretty solidly dead), Umaro, or Gogo. SUMMARY: Alie Rheese had never expected her love of science and technology to get her in trouble. When a new device at her place of employ backfires due to an accident, she and her brother end up in two separate worlds, very different from their own...  
**EXTENDED SUMMARY: **Alie Rheese had never expected her love of science and technology to get her in trouble. When a new device at her place of employ backfires due to an accident, she and her brother end up in two separate worlds, very different from their own... When Alie wakes to find herself in Figaro desert, brotherless and without the modern technology she needs to rebuild the machine and find her way home, she suffers depression. Sam is driven by his anger and his drive to find his sister. In the meanwhile, players behind the scenes manipulate happenings in both worlds, and Alie and Sam find themselves caught up in a plot to capture the megaverse... FF6/FF7 crossover with new characters and minor AU or expansions.

**Story Originally Created:** May 31, 2001

**Story Reworked:** February, 2008

**Story Notes (added February 3rd, 2008):** I have decided that this story was a good idea and written surprisingly well (except for some inconsistencies and short chapters) for 2001... so I have now decided to expand the story and give it the attention it deserves to warm my writing skills back up. I don't write fanfiction anymore, but I can't help but be driven to finish this story, as it has played out in my head over the last 7 years and I just like the ending and the possibilities too much to ignore it.

Chapters 2 and 3 have been combined into one chapter. This used to be "Reunions" and "Dimensional Teleportation System... Activated."

--

**"Dimensional Whiplash"  
By Jamie M. Carlson  
(aka Cardinal Syn) **

Two - Reunions and New Faces

_Figaro Castle, Noon._

A handsome young man in a long black cloak and black armor stood, arms crossed, on the balcony attached to the left tower of Figaro Castle. His long, blond hair was tied back in a horsetail and secured with two ribbons, one at the nape of his neck and the other towards the end of his hair. The wind whipped his hair around behind him. His eyes were the color of the desert sky, his face chiseled and strong, regal.

Another handsome young man was standing next to him, wearing a dark grey leather jacket, a zebra-pattern, low-cut shirt that revealed his muscled chest, black pants, and black boots. He had black hair that was light enough to be called gray, and a colorful patterned bandanna was tied at the back of his neck. He was perched on one of the square-cut stones of the battlement of Figaro Castle. His handsomeness came more from his fresh, younger looking face, his lively eyes. He was less strong in feature but just as dashing.

"You two look like you're posing for a painting!" laughed a large, tanned man wearing a lilac tank top, baggy pants, and sandals. His sandy blond hair was cropped short in front, tied into a horsetail in back, and his sharp features made one realize he resembled the man in black armor. This muscled man was Sabin, the twin brother of the other blond man, King Edgar of Figaro. "Aren't you hot in all that black?"

The man in zebra print grinned. "A painting? Are you saying we're pretty as a picture?"

The king smiled. "Locke, I think of the two of us, you're the only one womanly enough to be called 'pretty'..."

Locke glared at his long-time friend, his grey eyes narrowing. "Very funny, Edgar."

Sabin laughed, then, getting his own glare, said, "I doubt Celes finds you feminine at all, Locke! Speaking of which, how is she?" Locke smiled.

"She's been well. It's only been two days and I already miss her - it's like being married makes me want to be with her every moment of the day." Edgar patted him on the back.

"Celes is a fine woman. I can't blame you," the man said. His younger - though larger - brother laid a strong hand on his 'big' brother's shoulder.

"You miss Terra, don't you?" he asked, a sad smile on his face. The question was actually more of a statement. The young King of Figaro flushed, his eyes wide. Besides the time they communicated via carrier pigeon a year earlier, Edgard had not spent much time with the half-Esper woman in the last three years.

"Are - are you kidding?! I have all the women I could possibly want!" Edgar said a little too loud. Locke turned to him, eyebrows raised. The King turned and walked away from his friend, mouth set tight.

"Eddie? I would never have guessed! Or maybe I should've," Locke said thoughtfully. "Yeah. Yeah! You usually drop trying to get a girl's attention if she just walks away... with our dear Terra --"

"I did not! I mean, I... I..." Edgar floundered. "All right. All right! I do miss Terra. I... care for her greatly." He turned away, crossing his arms over his chest. "We will speak nothing of this again, understand?"

Sabin and Locke exchanged worried glances. "Okay..." they said together.

A large shadow appeared directly over them. Locke looked up, grinning. "Hmm, I think you'll get a chance to see-" he saw Edgar's expression "-Celes! She'll be very happy to see the two of you again! And so will everyone else we fought the good fight with! Setzer has been sneaking around, picking them all up while I've been here." He motioned for them to follow him as he ran back into the palace.

As the airship landed, Edgar, Sabin, and Locke ran out to meet them. The door opened, the ramp slid down and... to King Edgar, the most beautiful and extraordinary woman in the world appeared.

Terra stood at the top of the ramp, smiling her beautiful smile down at him. He smiled back, blue eyes shinning. Terra walked down the ramp, followed by a grinning girl with frizzy blonde curls poking out from under a layer of headscarves.

"Hey, Pretty Boy!" Relm cried, running ahead of Terra. The child threw her arms around Edgar, hugging him. She gave hugs to Sabin and Locke as well as the rest of the passengers of the Falcon emerged from the still-humming airship.

When Edgar became un-tangled from Relm, he walked forward regally, and embraced Terra. She hugged him back, then pulled away.

"Three years, come and gone, and you don't seem to have changed much at all," she noted, smiling up at him. Indeed, the young king - now in his 30's - still looked as young and handsome as when she had first laid eyes on him.

"And you, my dear Terra, also haven't changed a bit! You are still as lovely as ever." He bowed low, hand over his heart.

"Are you still trying to sweet-talk our little Terra?" came a sweet voice from behind Terra.

"Celes! The years have been equally kind to you," the King replied.

Setzer appeared and grinned. "Careful, Treasure Hunter! If you aren't, His Great Majesty just might steal your wife!" he laughed.

"You're just jealous because he's not hitting on you, too," Celes said with a wink. Setzer found this incredibly amusing and laughed heartily. "As for me, I'm quite happy with my husband." Even as she spoke, Locke came up and wrapped his arm around his new wife. Edgar shook hands with the man known as The Wandering Gambler, and with Cyan, who followed him. Even Shadow shook hands with the king.

Sabin stared at the mysterious assassin, and leaned close to Terra. "How did you manage to convince him to come?"

"He has been staying with Relm and Strago for the last year and a half, actually... he asked if he could come with them." She smiled at the ninja's back. Sabin scratched his chin and stared in open astonishment at the man who had once warned that his dog ate strangers.

When all the greetings were over, the party entered the castle, and Setzer and Relm went to pick up Mog, and then Gau, who still lived on the Veldt but now stayed in a house that his friends had constructed for him.

_In another world... _

A young man, around seventeen or eighteen, crouched behind a desk, spying on a young woman. She seemed about twenty, and was wearing a white lab coat. Her dark hair was tied in a long braid that reached halfway to her waist. The laboratory light sparkled off her thin oval-shaped glasses, the silver rims glinting cold in the harsh lighting. Strapped across one shoulder was a carrier that contained a laptop computer. She was making notes on a clipboard-mounted stack of papers with a red gel pen.

The room was large, counters with beakers and tubes and odd machinery lining the walls. A large machine - looking rather like a copier from where he crouched, but with some weird attachments and a large flat-panel monitor attached to the top - dominated the center of the room. A couple black boards with graphs, designs and formulas were spread throughout the remaining space. The floor was white, dull tile, the walls a dull off-white. The overhead lighting was too harsh and washed the colors of his shirt and jeans out.

"You can come out now, Sammy. Just don't touch anything," she said in a calm, though strong, voice. The boy stood, surprise registered on his young face.

"How'd ya know I was there? And don't call me Sammy! Call me Sam!" the boy responded, surprise melting into irritation at the nickname.

"I saw you come in. That was sure a sneaky way to spy on me," the girl stated in mocking tones. The boy, Sam, glared at her. He stuck his hands in the pockets of his tattered, faded jeans.

"You know you're not supposed to be in here during your off hours, and you're not supposed to be in this lab, period."

"Eh, Professor West doesn't mind if I'm in here, and you know it. So what exactly is it you're working on?" He sidled up to the machine she was standing by.

Alie glared at her little brother. Then she shrugged, defeated. I might as well tell him, she thought. He'll find out anyway. That Catrina is a sucker for boys and their charms and would just tell him if he asked her.

"It's dimensional teleportation device, Sam. It's ready for a test. There are hundreds of alternate or totally different dimensions in what the professor terms the megaverse," she revealed, her voice eager. She looked at the clock on the far wall. "You should go, Professor West'll be back soon! And I expect... hey! Shit! Be careful! I said not to..." Alie was cut off by a whirring noise. While she had been talking, Sam had tripped, knocking her down, and hit a button on the teleportation device. When he tried to pull himself back up, he clumsily pressed several keys on the control panel of the device.

The button he hit switched it on, and Alie cried out for him to stop it as red mist surrounded them, warping the room around them. "Noooo! **Samuel H. Rheese, what the hell have you done**?!" she screamed as the mist began to engulf her.

A mechanical voice said, "Dimensional Teleportation Sequence beginning."

The door burst open and in ran a woman in a white lab coat and two security guards.

"My god - Turn off the machine!" the woman cried.

But it was too late. Allie and Sam had disappeared. All that remained was red mist.

One of the security guards checked the machine. He looked at the woman in the lab coat.

"Dr. Kale, do you know what this is?" the guard asked, turning to the woman. She looked serious, with a black skirt-suit on under her white lab coat, her black hair pulled into a severe bun on the back of her head.

The woman's hazel eyes narrowed and her mouth set in a hard line. "This is bad."

Just then, Professor West, a man with greying black hair rushed in. He took one look at the device and the guards, and sighed, dropping his head in his hands

One of the security guards piped up. "It is Professor West's Dimensional Teleportation Device, Biggs. It sent the kids to another realm, dimension, whatever." He winced when the woman's angry hazel eyes met his.

"Oh, God, what have I done?!" Professor West moaned. "I knew I shouldn't have left Aleenia and her brother in here alone! Oh, what will I tell Samuel's parents? That I transported their only children to some unknown universe?" The man turned to the black-haired woman. "Andrea, we need to find out if we can determine the coordinates the machine sent them to, and we need to do it fast. They left without recall devices."

The woman nodded.

_A mile outside of Midgar, a red light swelled. In it, a young boy lay. As the light faded, he was left in an unconscious state. A traveler came across the boy near dawn. He brought the youth to Seventh Heaven, the nearest occupied building, where he could be cared for..._

_In the desert sands outside of Figaro Castle, a red light blossomed and faded. It would be a while until the young woman the light left there would be found..._

--

_In the next chapter of Dimensional Whiplash, Alie and Sam wake to find themselves in foreign territory. How will each of the separated siblings handle their situation? And how will our cast fare with the array of new people - and creatures - they are about to encounter?_


	3. And You Are

**TITLE: **Dimensional Whiplash  
_**This is the working title**_**  
ABBREVIATED TITLE: **DW  
**Part: 3**/? ("And you are...?" )  
**AUTHOR: **Cardinal Syn/Jamie Carlson  
**RATING: **PG-13 for Language and Adult Themes**  
SPOILERS: **Misc. Final Fantasy VI and VII spoilers  
**DISCLAIMER: **The Final Fantasy Franchise belongs to Squeenix (SquareEnix). The characters Aleenia and Samuel Rheese belong to me and are (c) 2000 to present.  
**NOTES: **This is a total rehaul of a fanfiction that I started many, many years ago. I really like the basis of the original story, but will be removing several elements and adding more. References to the Street Fighter universe will be completely removed. The triangle that started to develope between Sabin, Alie and Shadow will be explored further, and any confusing elements (such as Edgar's seeming attraction toward her at the beginning when he only has eyes for Terra) will be removed. Ages will be correctyed and the timeline altered to allow for the Advent Children events for the FF7 world, and so that Relm is the correct age (I found out that she's only 10 - 11 during events in the game).  
**WARNINGS: **Language and adult themes. **  
PAIRINGS: **Locke/Celes; A weak Cloud/Tifa; Yuffie/OC; Edgar/Terra; a weak OC/Sabin or OC/Shadow (we'll see how this developes).  
**MAIN CHARACTERS (in order of most prominent in the story): **Heroes from FF6 and 7, except for Aerith (as she is pretty solidly dead), Umaro, or Gogo.  
**SUMMARY:** Alie Rheese had never expected her love of science and technology to get her in trouble. When a new device at her place of employ backfires due to an accident, she and her brother end up in two separate worlds, very different from their own...  
**EXTENDED SUMMARY: **Alie Rheese had never expected her love of science and technology to get her in trouble. When a new device at her place of employ backfires due to an accident, she and her brother end up in two separate worlds, very different from their own... When Alie wakes to find herself in Figaro desert, brotherless and without the modern technology she needs to rebuild the machine and find her way home, she suffers depression. Sam is driven by his anger and his drive to find his sister. In the meanwhile, players behind the scenes manipulate happenings in both worlds, and Alie and Sam find themselves caught up in a plot to capture the megaverse... FF6/FF7 crossover with new characters and minor AU or expansions.

**Story Originally Created:** May 31, 2001

**Story Reworked:** March, 2008

**Story Notes (added March 3rd, 2008):** I have decided that this story was a good idea and written surprisingly well (except for some inconsistencies and short chapters) for 2001... so I have now decided to expand the story and give it the attention it deserves to warm my writing skills back up. I don't write fanfiction anymore, but I can't help but be driven to finish this story, as it has played out in my head over the last 7 years and I just like the ending and the possibilities too much to ignore it.

This was originally chaper 4.

"**Dimensional Whiplash"  
By Jamie Carlson**

**(_aka Cardinal Syn)_**

Three - And you are...?

A scraggly-looking traveler burst into Seventh Heaven. His ragged face was lined with worry. He gestured behind himself.

"I need some help, if anyone here has a Restore materia on 'em?" he asked. Tifa broke her conversation with Barret and nodded, walking behind the bar in order to retrieve the small orb from the bar's medical kit. She pulled on her gloves and attached the materia to one of the slots.

"What's the problem?" she asked, following the man out the door.

"Found a young man passed out by the road leading into Midgar. Can't seem to wake him up." He lead her out to his three-wheeled truck. In the back lay a young man in his late teens or early twenties. He wore a faded pair of blue jeans with a hole in the left leg over his knee, and a dark blue shirt that was equally faded. The shirt had a screen print over his chest that had some sort of small, blue creature with a fin on its head and text that read: "WARNING - MUDKIP ZONE. "HuhhuhhhuhUHUHhuhuHUhuhuh".

His hair was a sandy brown/blonde color. In the fading afternoon light, she could see he had a healthy tan and was somewhat athletic.

She placed one hand on the side of the truck and kicked off the ground. She landed next to him and knelt down. Tifa cast Cure off of the Restore materia, but got little reaction - he merely gave a small groan and rolled toward her. When his stomach came into contact with her knees, he curled around her like a big teddy bear. Rolling her eyes, she roughly shoved him away.

Grunting, he opened his pale hazel eyes and blinked up at the dark blue of the sky. He jerked upright, sitting up so suddenly Tifa was startled and leaned back. He looked all around himself, his eyes settling on her. He cried out, scooting back until his back was pressed against the truck cab. She reached out to him, trying to calm him.

"W-where am I?" he croaked. His voice was hoarse, as if he hadn't used it in a while, or perhaps the dry spring air had caused it.

"You're inside Midgar. You were found unconscious on one of the roads leading in."

"M-Midgar? I mean... Where the hell is Midgar?"

Tifa arched an eyebrow.

"Just south-west of Kalm, and northeast of Junon."

"W...where? Are we not in Oregon?"

"Where's Oregon?"

The young man sat perfectly still for a moment before launching himself out of the truck.

"Hey!" Tifa called, standing. He had landed heavily, due to the awkward landing and his weakness, and was stunned for a moment on hands and knees. But he lurched forward soon enough and tumbled into the door of Seventh Heaven. Sighing, Tifa jumped down gracefully and followed him. The man who had brought the youth to the bar followed meekly behind her.

The young man was frozen in place. Nanaki was only a few feet away from him. He was looking up at the boy in curiosity. The sandy-haired youth spun around as if to run from the bar and ran into Tifa. Startled, he jerked back and lost his balance. Barret caught him with his good arm and set him in a chair.

"Now, now, kid, Nanaki ain't gonna hurt you. Tifa won't hurt you either, 'less ya give 'er reason to," Cid remarked around his cigarette. The boy's eyes flicked to Cid, then to the shining metal of Barret's gun arm.

"Impressive, yeah?" Barret rumbled proudly, patting the arm and moving the robotic fingers with the whir of gears. "Newest model on th' market."

"The... What..." Suddenly, clarity returned to the man's eyes. He stood up quickly, knocking over his chair. "My sister! Was there a girl with me, a little older, darker hair?!"

The old man who had brought the youth in peeked out from behind Tifa.

"No, son, you're the only one I found."

The boy brought a hand to his head and looked around the bar, at the faces of Tifa and her friends.

"Alie... Oh, what the hell have I done?"

_  
In a world where Espers roam.._

The reunion was eventful. Reminiscing about the past and sharing stories about their new lives, the Returners gathered around the huge table in the dining hall and ate and drank the night away.

"Ah, how good it is to have my friends with me once more! The Returners are once again together!" Edgar cheered, his cheeks slightly flushed from the high quality wine he had been consuming. A chorus of agreement rose from the table.

Relm sighed and pushed her glass of juice away. "You guys all get wine! No fair!"

"Well, without wine there can be no toast!" Edgar responded, standing, and ignoring her sulky comment. "To Terra, to Celes, and to _Relm_, three lovely and brave young women!"

The men all agreed, shouting "To the ladies!!" practically in unison. Terra stood, laughing.

"And to all you men who put up with us!"

Amidst the laughter, Edgar murmured, "Actually, you're very easy to put up with, Terra."

No one hears him; Terra is on the opposite end of the long, rectangular table, and the others were too preoccupied with cheering to listen.

This continued well into the morning.

Sabin, unable to ignore his instincts that years of training had instilled in him, woke at dawn. He crept silently out of his room and out toward the side doors. His training was continuous - he hoped his Blitz techniques would one day match those of his late master. He reached one of the outer side doors without seeing anyone else. He began to swing the door open, but there was something blocking its path. He shoved, and was able to push the door open enough to let him slip his great muscled bulk outside.

Sabin glanced down at what had been blocking the door, and froze. Shock lit up his deep blue eyes. A young woman lay still against the metal door, her dark, braided hair and lithe body dusted with sand. Her white lab coat had been tinted beige from the dust. She wore a knee-length shealth-like skirt, which had hiked up her thighs a little, and black dress shoes. Her blouse was a soft blue.

Her skin was a creamy color, and had not yet burned - she had not been in the sun long enough to be harmed by its rays, but Sabin was worried. It was cold in the desert at night. Yet, how long had she been there? Had no guards seen her collapse here?

Sabid lifted her up after adjusting her skirt modestly. He carried her inside the castle. A guard spotted him and dashed forward, alarmed.

"Go and wake the king, and get Terra, and the palace doctor!" Sabin ordered. The guard nodded and dashed off, his lightweight metal armor clanking.

Sabin carried the woman to the infirmary. By the time he had laid her out on a table, Terra apeared in the doorway. She was followed closely by everyone else - apparently the guard had made so much noise, it had roused the others. King Edgar came in last, dishevelled and cranky.

The doctor padded in last, his gray hair sticking up on the right side of his head from sleeping. He padded over to the woman on the table and checked her pulse. He brushed the sand away from her face and checked her eyes.

"She seems alright, but doesn't appear to be waking up," the doctor muttered. He looked up at Terra. "Perhaps you could try something, Lady Terra?"

Terra brushed her tousled curls over her shoulder. She was clutching her deep teal dressing gown, holding it closed. She cast Curaja, her voice soft. The girl sighed and moved, apprearing asleep now instread of half dead. The doctor came back with a wet cloth and wiped the unconcious woman's face. She groaned softly in reply and opened bleary green eyes. She squinted up at Terra.

"Who... Are you..." the woman cleared her throat, trying again. "Ah.. Who are you, and where.. am I?"

"You, my dear," Edgar answered gruffly, not allowing Terra to respond, "Are exactly where you were when you passed out. Only, inside. You're within the walls of Figaro Castle."

The woman sat up then, her movement too sudden. She coughed as if to wretch and toppled sideways. Thankfully, she didn't lose whatever her stomach contained as Sabin caught her. It would have been an unfortunate way to meet.

"There, now, easy," Sabin said softly, shooting his brother a harsh look. "He's cranky because it's so early. You're safe, no one's angry - mind telling me why you were passed out by the side entrance, though?" he asked gently as he helped the girl sit upright. She clung to him as if afraid of falling from the examination table again. Her eyes were large and slanted ever so slightly, and he felt a blush begin to creep up the back of his neck - where it always started for him - as she gazed up at him in wonder.

"I'm sorry," the woman murmured, looking around at Terra and Edgar, then back at Sabin. "Did you say Figaro Castle?"

"Of course," Edgar snapped, but hushed when Sabin threw him a deadly look.

"You need to forgive my brother, he's only had a couple of hours of sleep and has a hangover," Sabin said, his voice tinged with anger now. The woman's laugh caught him off guard.

"I'm in no place to judge someone for being grouchy on three or less hours of sleep, I'm the same way. But, I think you misunderstand - I've never heard of this place. Where is Figaro Castle and, if you don't mind, who exactly are you?" Her voice was stronger now as she sat up and pushed away from Sabin. She seemed suddenly aware of having been pressed against him.

"My name is Sabin Figaro, and the Almighty Grouch here is King Edgar Figaro. Figaro Castle is in, well, Figaro Desert, in the nation of... Figaro." Sabin wondered why his family had named everything in the area after themselves. It sounded rather trite when put that way.

"King? Wait, nation?!" The woman looked astounded. Then, suddenly:

"Oh, holy heavens, this isn't good. Did.. was there anyone with me?" She sounded desperate now. Sabin shook his head, and her face crumpled. She covered it with her hands. "Oh, Sammy, what have you gotten us into?" she whispered, voice muffled by her hands.

Terra placed a gentle hand on her shoulder, which was shaking with repressed sobs.

"It's alright. Please stay calm. No one here is going to hurt you."

"I'm not worried about _me_," the woman responded, moving her hands away from her face. Her eyes glittered like emeralds and tears rolled down her cheeks, leaving trails in the find sand dust that lingered there. "I'm worried about my brother, Samuel. Oh, it wasn't ready, I have no idea what the settings had been changed to -"

"What wasn't ready?" Celes asked, her voice cautious.

"The... Gah, I'm not sure how to explain. Wait, where did you find me again?" the woman asked, squinting again at Sabin.

"I was heading out to the desert and found you knocked out in the sand, just outside the Castle."

"I see. Was there anything else around me?"

"You had a black bag strapped to you, but nothing else." He watched her curiously as she felt her face. She looked up at him ruefully.

"Not even a pair of glasses?"

"Not that I saw.. if they fell off, they've probably been buried by drifting sand. Do you have a name?" She was caught off guard and he blushed at her surprised stare. "Er, sorry. I just.. thought we should introduce ourselves. The woman who is standing next to you is Terra Branford, the lovely blonde lady is Celes Chere-Cole, and that's her husband Locke next to her. Cyan Garramonde, Relm Arrowny - shouldn't you be in bed, kid? - her grandfather Strago, Setzer Gabbiani, and Mog, a moogle from Narshe." He shook his head. "It looks like everyone woke up and came down here.

Those green eyes landed again on the King of Figaro and caught him in a large yawn. "I appear to have woken a lot of people up," she said, glancing at all of the servants that had gathered about to see what was going on. "I'm very sorry. My name is Aleenia Rheese.

"I think I can explain what happened and where I was from.. but..." she brought a hand to her forehead and grimaced. "If it can wait until everyone has had more sleep and I've had a chance to clean up..."

Edgar stepped up, yawning again. "We yawn don't have any available rooms for now, but I'm sure Terra can find you a place to rest. Terra, if you would cast Cure on her for the headache? Thank you. I need more sleep."

The Great King of Figaro lumbered off to his room, as if Aleenia was the most uninteresting thing in the world at the time. All of the Returners stared after him.

"As I said, he's not a morning person," Sabin told a wide-eyed Alie apologetically. "He'll be more composed in the late morning," he said as Terra cast another Cure spell on a shocked Aleenia.

"Magic?" she whispered. "It has to be.. but.. where I'm from, magic.. doesn't exist..."  
_  
In a world more like our own..._

_Professor West spent several hours in the laboratory, attempting to repair the damaged Dimensional Teleportation Device and get a clear idea as the where the coordinates had sent the siblings. Dr. Kale – the solemn woman in black – was checking the security cameras to see what had happened. It was simple trip-up – nothing more than that._

_But Dr. Andrea Kale wasn't going to let this slip-up leak out. She sent messages to the Rheese household that the siblings would be spending a few days at the lab helping with the tests. Their parents were very trusting of Dr. Kale, and didn't find this suspicious – after all, it was Aleenia's favorite place to be, and Sam was never far from his sister's side._

_They worked for twenty four hours, in shifts, barely sleeping, trying to call up the exact calculations._

_Dr. Andrea Kale was not going to let those children destroy her life's work with a mishap._

_She couldn't._

_"Once we get this working, I'll take a team and go get them myself," Andrea commented to Dr. West as she fiddled with the monitor attached to the device. "Please get some extra recall devices ready."_

_Dr. West nodded and shuffled off to the secondary lab, where the recall devices were kept._

___In the world that Holy saved..._

_Samuel sank to the floor, his face ashen._

_"What have I done?" he mumbled, rocking gently, head on his hands. The gathered members of Avalanche exchanged looks. Tifa sent the old man away with her thanks and assurance that they would take care of the boy from here on out._

_"What the hell you awn, boy? You all shakin' and moanin' like you comin' off a bad trip," Barret grunted, glowering darkly at the boy, his thick, dark eyebrows drawn together. He looked mean, and Tifa hoped his large bulk and generally surly attitude wouldn't upset the boy more._

_The boy's head lifted slowly, and he glared right back._

_"Who the hell are you supposed to be, Mr. T? Just lay off, okay? I have no idea where the fuck I am and my sister is missing, I ain't on no goddamn drugs, so fuck off!" he snarled, color returning to his face in a flush. Barret took a step forward menacingly, and the kid was on his feet, balanced on the balls of his toes in some martial arts stance. It wasn't much of one though, Tifa noted, and was aware that Barret could probably knock the kid out in one backhand with his metal gun arm._

_"Cool it, hotshot – there's no fighting in my bar," Tifa chided. The boy turned his glare on her now, but his eyes softened a little. Not much, though._

_"Look, I'm just pissed off that he implied I'm on drugs or something. I'm not. I'm just freaked out and worried about my sister, and I have a friggin' killer headache to top it off, so please would you cut me some slack?" He relaxed his stance and stood there glumly rubbing his forehead. His eyes flicked from Tifa to Cid to Barret and back again._

_"If ya calm down and stop insulting us, maybe we'll be a little friendlier," Cid pointed out. The young man froend, but he nodded._

_"Yeah, look, I'm sorry. I just - " he caught sight of Nanaki, who had come closer in order to smell him, and jumped to the side with a startled cry. He lost his footing, but Tifa caught him and kept him upright. "Holy shit, what are you, some sort of lion-dog?"_

_"I am Nanaki, also called Red XIII."_

_The boy looked as if he was having trouble processing Nanaki's ability to talk._

_"It startled me, too, at first," Tifa said gently, patting him on the shoulder. "Why don't you take a sit here at the table and tell us how you ended up in Midgar, and introduce yourself."_

_Subdued and obedient with his shock, the young man sat down at a table pretty much at the center of the group of the Avalanche members. He accepted a glass of water from Yuffie, who smiled at him cheerfully. He blushed. The group introduced themselves one by one. He seemed to record their faces in his memory as they spoke, eyes scanning their features like a laser scanner reading a bar code._

_"My name's Samuel Rheese, but please just call me Sam. D'ya have something for headaches, like, Advil or somethin'? I hate to ask you for it, but..." He was cut off when green light shimmered around him. His headache disappeared. "The hell?"_

_"She cast Cure on you, knucklehead, don't you know how to use Materia? Tifa's got a Restore material in her glove."_

_"What's a materia?"_

* * *

___In the next chapter of Dimensional Whiplash, Alie and Sam find themselves in strange company. How will they cope in these new situations? _


End file.
